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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10079.
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Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos

Eleven Science Questions for the New Century

Committee on the Physics of the Universe

Board on Physics and Astronomy

Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C. www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10079.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This project was supported by Grant No. DE-FG02-00ER41141 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Department of Energy, Grant No. NAG5-9268 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Grant No. PHY-0079915 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

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Cover: Artwork ©2002 by Don Dixon/cosmographica.com

Copyright 2003 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10079.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10079.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10079.
×

COMMITTEE ON THE PHYSICS OF THE UNIVERSE

MICHAEL S. TURNER,

University of Chicago,

Chair

ERIC G. ADELBERGER,

University of Washington2

ARTHUR I. BIENENSTOCK,

Stanford University2

ROGER D. BLANDFORD,

California Institute of Technology

SANDRA M. FABER,

University of California at Santa Cruz1

THOMAS K. GAISSER,

University of Delaware

FIONA HARRISON,

California Institute of Technology

JOHN P. HUCHRA,

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

JOHN C. MATHER,

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center2

JOHN PEOPLES, JR.,

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory2

HELEN R. QUINN,

Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

R.G. HAMISH ROBERTSON,

University of Washington

BERNARD SADOULET,

University of California at Berkeley

FRANK J. SCIULLI,

Columbia University

DAVID N. SPERGEL,

Princeton University1

HARVEY TANANBAUM,

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory2

J. ANTHONY TYSON,

Lucent Technologies

FRANK A. WILCZEK,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

CLIFFORD WILL,

Washington University, St. Louis

BRUCE D. WINSTEIN,

University of Chicago

EDWARD L. (NED) WRIGHT,

University of California at Los Angeles2

Staff

DONALD C. SHAPERO, Director

JOEL R. PARRIOTT, Senior Program Officer

MICHAEL H. MOLONEY, Program Officer

TIMOTHY I. MEYER, Program Associate

CYRA A. CHOUDHURY, Project Associate

NELSON QUIÑONES, Project Assistant

VAN AN, Financial Associate

1,2  

Served for only phase 1 or 2 of the study (see Preface).

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10079.
×

BOARD ON PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

JOHN P. HUCHRA,

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics,

Chair

ROBERT C. RICHARDSON,

Cornell University,

Vice Chair

JONATHON A. BAGGER,

Johns Hopkins University

GORDON A. BAYM,

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

CLAUDE R. CANIZARES,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

WILLIAM EATON,

National Institutes of Health

WENDY L. FREEDMAN,

Carnegie Observatories

FRANCES HELLMAN,

University of California at San Diego

KATHY LEVIN,

University of Chicago

CHUAN SHENG LIU,

University of Maryland

LINDA J. (LEE) MAGID,

University of Tennessee

THOMAS M. O’NEIL,

University of California at San Diego

JULIA M. PHILLIPS,

Sandia National Laboratories

BURTON RICHTER,

Stanford University

ANNEILA I. SARGENT,

California Institute of Technology

JOSEPH H. TAYLOR, JR.,

Princeton University

KATHLEEN C. TAYLOR,

General Motors Corporation

THOMAS N. THEIS, IBM T.J.

Watson Research Center

CARL E. WIEMAN,

University of Colorado/JILA

Staff

DONALD C. SHAPERO, Director

JOEL R. PARRIOTT, Senior Program Officer

ROBERT L. RIEMER, Senior Program Officer

MICHAEL H. MOLONEY, Program Officer

TIMOTHY I. MEYER, Program Associate

CYRA A. CHOUDHURY, Project Associate

PAMELA A. LEWIS, Project Associate

NELSON QUIÑONES, Project Assistant

VAN AN, Financial Associate

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10079.
×

Preface

The fall 1999 meeting of the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Board on Physics and Astronomy (BPA) featured a stimulating science session on the frontiers of research at the intersection of physics and astronomy. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) administrator Daniel Goldin attended the session and at its conclusion asked the BPA to assess the science opportunities in this interdisciplinary area and devise a plan for realizing those opportunities. Robert Eisenstein, assistant director of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, and S. Peter Rosen, associate director for high-energy and nuclear physics at the Department of Energy (DOE), expressed their desire to work with NASA and supported the initiation of this study. The Committee on the Physics of the Universe was formed and held the first of its eight meetings in March 2000 (see Appendix A).

Mr. Goldin strongly urged the BPA to finish the report in time for the recommendations to play a role in the science planning of the new administration that would be taking office in 2001. To meet that ambitious goal, the BPA decided to divide the study into two phases: a first phase to assess the science opportunities and a second phase to address the implementation of those opportunities. In carrying out the study, the BPA enlisted the help of the Space Studies Board (SSB).

The charge to the committee was as follows:

The committee will prepare a science assessment and strategy for this area of research at the intersection of astronomy and physics. The study will encompass astrophysical phenomena that give insight into fundamental physics as well as fundamental physics that is relevant to understanding astrophysical phenomena and the structure and evolution of the universe.

The science assessment will be carried out as the first phase of the study over a period of 1 year. The assessment will summarize progress in ad-

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10079.
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dressing the key research issues facing the research community and evaluate opportunities for further progress. Among the science topics to be included in the science assessment are cosmology, the creation of matter and energy at the initiation of the universe, the dark matter known to pervade the cosmos, the dark energy that appears to be causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate, additional dimensions beyond the usual three of space and one of time, strong-field gravitational physics, very-high-energy cosmic rays, neutrino astrophysics, and extreme physics at black holes and magnetized neutron stars.

The second phase of the study, which will require an additional year of work, will result in a strategy for this interdisciplinary area of research. The strategy will include scientific objectives identified in the first phase along with priorities and a plan of action to implement the priorities, including ways to facilitate continued coordinated planning involving NASA, NSF, DOE, and the research community.

During the first phase, the committee held one open meeting to gather input and to hear from the three sponsoring agencies about their current plans and hopes for this study. It also met twice in closed session to prepare an interim report for phase I (see Appendix A for meeting agendas). Community input was gathered during briefings at meetings of the American Astronomical Society, the American Physical Society (APS), the APS Division of Particles and Fields (DPF), the APS Division of Astrophysics and Nuclear Physics, and the APS Topical Group on Gravitation. The committee chose these divisions because the intersection between astronomy and physics largely touches on nuclear, particle, and gravitational physics. An e-mail announcement inviting public comment was widely distributed through the professional societies and their subunits. The interim phase I report contained the science assessment, which was presented in the form of 11 questions that are ripe for progress. The phase I report was released to the public on January 9, 2001, at the meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

The committee began its second phase, the formulation of a strategy for addressing the 11 science questions, by soliciting ideas from the community. A call for proposals was widely circulated in the community (see Appendix B). Some 80 proposals for projects that address the scientific questions identified in the phase I report were received (see Appendix C). A series of three open meetings was held to hear about projects and ideas. The first was held in association with the April 2001 meeting of the APS; the second was held in conjunction with the June meeting of the American Astronomical Society; and the final meeting was held in Snowmass, Colorado, during the DPF’s Future of High-Energy Physics Study. Two closed

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10079.
×

meetings were held, one in Chicago, Illinois, and one in Irvine, California, to formulate recommendations.

During the 2-year study the committee kept the BPA, SSB, and Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics (CAA, a standing committee of the NRC) informed by means of periodic progress reports from its chair.

This final report consists of the phase I report, a series of committee recommendations for realizing the science opportunities, and a new chapter (Chapter 7) devoted to how the science objectives can be addressed. It complements the NRC surveys Physics in a New Era: An Overview and Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millennium (both from the National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 2001). It builds on the science priorities identified in those studies and focuses on areas at the intersection of astronomy and physics that although peripheral to each discipline separately, become important when considered in the context of both. This report, together with the physics and astronomy surveys, provides a clear and comprehensive picture of the exciting and timely science opportunities that exist in physics and astronomy as we enter a new century.

The committee acknowledges BPA program staff members Don Shapero, Timothy Meyer, Michael Moloney, and Joel Parriott, whose extraordinary effort during the rigorous NRC review process enabled the committee to meet a very aggressive prepublication schedule. The committee and I also thank the NRC review coordinator for the phase I report, Martha Haynes, for her willingness to oversee the review process during the busy winter holiday season and the NRC review coordinator for the final report, Kenneth Kellerman, who worked hard to help the committee meet its ambitious schedule.

I end with a personal note. The committee brought together an extraordinary group of astronomers and physicists. The great diversity in scientific backgrounds was more than balanced by an even greater interest in and appreciation of science far from the members’ own research interests. The science opportunities before us made every meeting exciting. Working with this group was a pleasure that I will long remember, and I thank the committee for its hard work and commitment to the study.

Michael S. Turner, Chair

Committee on the Physics of the Universe

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10079.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10079.
×

Acknowledgment of Reviewers

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

David Arnett, University of Arizona,1,2

Jonathan Bagger, Johns Hopkins University,2

Barry Barish, California Institute of Technology,2

Gordon Baym, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,1,2

Beverly Berger, Oakland University,1

John Carlstrom, University of Chicago,2

Marc Davis, University of California at Berkeley,1

Sidney Drell, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center,1

Richard Fahey, Goddard Space Flight Center,1

Wendy Freedman, Carnegie Observatories,1,2

David Gross, University of California at Santa Barbara,1

Alice Harding, Goddard Space Flight Center,1

Steve Kahn, Columbia University,2

Marc Kamionkowski, California Institute of Technology,1,2

Richard Kron, Yerkes Observatory, University of Chicago,2

Louis Lanzerotti, Lucent Technologies,1

Rene Ong, University of California at Los Angeles,2

Anneila Sargent, California Institute of Technology,1

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10079.
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Peter Stetson, Dominion Astrophysical Observatory,1

Joseph H. Taylor, Jr., Princeton University,1,2 and

Edward L. Wright, University of California at Los Angeles.1

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Martha Haynes,1 Cornell University, and Kenneth Kellermann,2 National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Appointed by the National Research Council, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

1,2  

Participated in the review for phase 1 or phase 2 of the study or both.

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Dedication

The Committee on the Physics of the Universe dedicates this report to a dear friend and valued colleague, David N. Schramm. His vision, research, enthusiasm, and energy helped to open this blossoming area of research, and his strong voice helped bring it to the attention of astronomers and physicists alike. Reproduced below is a viewgraph in his own hand that concisely summarized his vision.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10079.
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Advances made by physicists in understanding matter, space, and time and by astronomers in understanding the universe as a whole have closely intertwined the question being asked about the universe at its two extremes—the very large and the very small. This report identifies 11 key questions that have a good chance to be answered in the next decade. It urges that a new research strategy be created that brings to bear the techniques of both astronomy and sub-atomic physics in a cross-disciplinary way to address these questions. The report presents seven recommendations to facilitate the necessary research and development coordination. These recommendations identify key priorities for future scientific projects critical for realizing these scientific opportunities.

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